One Step Ahead
by sendmetosanfran
Summary: (Takes place while Donald is still on the hunt for Reddington.) Agent Ressler follows Raymond Reddington and captures the criminal only for the two to run into trouble. Will they be able to survive or will they both die trying?
1. Captured

Raymond Reddington always seemed to be one step ahead. That's what Donald Ressler hated most about it. It didn't matter where he went, the bastard always seemed to have moved one town over. That's not how it was going to be this time. He was finally going to catch him.

Why Reddington was in a small town in Missouri, Ressler wasn't quiet sure. All he knew was that he had gotten a tip that he was meeting someone. It could have been a crime boss or it could have been a drug dealer. Hell, it could have just been a mistress of his.

Either way, Ressler was currently driving around Missouri in the middle of July. Even with the air conditioner blowing straight on his face, Ressler felt the sweat dripping down the back of his neck. He drove on a bridge over a river. He glanced down at the murky water below and shuddered. Was water meant to be that shade of brown?

He continued on his way. With any luck he could break up the meeting and corner Reddington. Despite the intense heat, he was starting to lose daylight. So, he decided to hurry a little. It seemed like an eternity before he found where he was going.

He parked a little ways down from the building before coming back to it. It was an old bowling alley that looked like it had been out of use for the past ten years. He moved silently around the back making sure to stay low to the ground.

"How can you ask such a ridiculous price? Those aren't even worth a fourth of what your asking for." Complained a man. Donald glanced around the corner and saw that Reddington was the one who was talking. He was standing with another man in front of some crates. He didn't know what was in them but from the odd smell in the air, he didn't think that he wanted to know.

"You aren't going to find another shipment of this for the rest of the year. If you intend to get in on it, you better act now." Said the other man who had an accent that sounded like the people around this area. "Besides, if you sell it correctly, you'll triple your money."

"Oh? How's that? Half of this garbage is rotten."

"That still leaves you doubling your money."

"...You're not good with numbers, are you?" Red asked. Donald glanced around to see if there were any bodyguards around. There was no one in sight. Reddington must have assumed that no one would know he was here or try to follow him. Donald raised his pistol before stepping out.

"Freeze! Hands in the air!" Ressler yelled causing both of the men's gazes to shoot to him. Reddington seemed to analyze his situation. He had no way to run, no way to hide, and no way to kill Ressler before he could kill him. He raised his hands above his head while the other criminal eyed him.

The other man cut out running. Reddington flinched like he had been about to run the other way but stopped when Ressler pulled back the hammer on his pistol. He could faintly see Reddington clenching and unclenching his jaw. Finally, he had the bastard.

"Most cops try to go after the drug dealer." Reddington stated. His voice sounded as if he were talking to an old friend. He was so calm that it was almost unnerving.. Ressler moved in closer being cautious in case the man had a hidden weapon.

"Not when the other one is Raymond Reddington," Donald replied causing Reddington to roll his eyes.

"I suppose I should be flattered."

"Actually, I suppose you should turn around." Donald stated. Reddington's face gave a small tick as he glared at the agent. He turned around. He wasn't going to go through all this only to be shot by some cop who wanted to make a name for himself. Ressler ran his hand over Raymond's pockets and up and down his pants legs.

"How lovely, I get arrested and felt up in the same afternoon." Raymond said sarcastically.

"Are you always a smart ass?"

"You should be thrilled to hear my wit. Most are shot before they get the chance." Reddington replied. Donald grabbed his raised arms before he pulled them down in front of him and handcuffed him. He grabbed the chain and dragged him along.

The sun had set, and Ressler swore it had dropped twenty degrees. He more or less shoved Reddington into the backseat of his car. He got into the front and cranked the car. He drove off towards the way he came. Glancing in the rear view mirror, he saw that Reddington was silently plotting his escape.

An old pick up truck followed close behind them giving Raymond a bad feeling. It pulled up close beside them. He looked and saw the dealer raising a pistol. He gasped and ducked. The window shattered next to him causing Donald to jump. He pulled back on the wheel when the truck crashed into them.

The dealer smashed into them again. Ressler swore loudly and hit the gas. He got past the truck for a moment but not long enough. The truck pressed against the car threatening to push it off of the road.

"Bridge! Bridge!" Reddington yelled from the backseat. Donald looked forward and saw the bridge that he had crossed earlier. They were headed straight for the railing. If he hit it, they would both die. He couldn't slow down fast enough, and he couldn't get this psycho off of him. He only had one choice.

Ressler jerked the steering wheel to the side causing the car turn to the side. The car turned along side the bank. For a split second, Ressler thought they were fine, but that hope was dashed when the car started turning over. It tumbled down the hill causing the two men to be bashed into the sides.

Finally, it fell into the murky water below. Water rushed in on top of them. They couldn't see anything. All they could do was try to get out of the sinking wreck before they were trapped. Donald opened his door and started swimming to the surface. His lungs burned for air, and he had no idea how far up he had to go. He broke the surface and huffed for oxygen.

Looking around, he saw that Reddington had bobbed to the surface but wasn't moving. He grabbed him by the collar and pulled him over. He was still breathing but had a nasty cut across his forehead. It took him a moment to realize that they were moving. The current was pulling them along the river.

He tried to haul the man to the bank but found that the water was pulling them too fast for him to make any headway. He was exhausted and couldn't keep going. His vision blurred and faded. Maybe, he'd taken one too many hits to the head on the way down.


	2. What's in the water?

Ressler woke up to find that his head was pounding, he was soaked to the bone, sunlight was beating down on him, and something or someone was messing with his pockets. He opened his eyes blearily to see that Reddington had one hand shoved in his pocket. The other, due to handcuffs, had to hover perilously close to Ressler's crotch.

"What are you doing?" Ressler asked causing Reddington to stare down at him with wide eyes. He glanced down at his hands before looking back at Ressler.

"I swear, I'm only looking for keys." He stated. He'd prefer the agent to not think that he'd been trying to cope a feel while he had been unconscious.

"Get off." Ressler said shoving the man away from him. He leaned forward and placed his head in his hands. Every inch of him ached. He rubbed his head and could feel the slight sunburn that had started to form. He stood and wobbled slightly as his legs tried to give out on him. He shoved his hands in his pockets and felt nothing in them.

"Those keys you were looking for," Ressler said looking to the criminal. "They're long gone. They must have gotten swept away in the current." He added and saw the tick in Red's face. "If we want to get out of here, we're going to have walk back up alongside the river."

Reddington stood and glared at the other man. Ressler actually thought that he was going to comply with the agent when they both knew that his pistol had been pulled away with his keys. He moved over to Ressler while he was still looking at the water in contemplation. Reddington stretched out the chain on his handcuffs to where they fit over Ressler's throat.

He shoved the man back to where he was pinned to a tree. Ressler gasped for air and clawed at Reddington's hands as the chain dug into his neck. Realizing that wouldn't get the man off of him, he started swinging punches wildly towards Reddington's head. Most missed by a mile but one shot clocked the older man in the temple.

"Son of a bitch!" Ressler yelled as he flung himself at the criminal. He had him pinned to the ground before he had time to get away. He placed his weight on Reddington's stomach while he held his hands over his head. "You know, I don't have to take you back alive?"

"And what kind of fame would you get from bringing me back dead? Your success would be marred by everyone's thought of how you missed the opportunity to get information out of me, Agent Ressler." Reddington stated calmly. He smirked at the confused look on the younger man's face.

"How do you know my name?" He asked causing Raymond to chuckle.

"Oh Ressler, you crack me up. You honestly think that I'm not going to pay attention to the man who's been chasing me for the past two years?" He said with another chuckle before his expression turned completely serious. "I know everything there is to know about you."

A chill went down Ressler's spine. He stood and dragged Reddington with him. He wouldn't just sit there and listen to this man trying to psych him out. That's what he had to be doing, right? He couldn't actual know everything about him.

"We need to get going." Ressler stated and dragged the criminal along behind him. He could feel the glare on the back on his neck as they walked along the rocky bank of the river. He glanced at the water and furrowed his brow. "How does it get that brown?" He asked himself but Reddington could hear his question.

"Contaminants," Reddington stated getting a look from Donald. "I'm sure there's oil, fertilizer, and a few God awful things that we'd prefer not to know about." He added. Suddenly Ressler felt like he needed a long shower. He was still drenched in that water and didn't know what was on him.

"Why would they let the water get this bad?" Ressler asked. He lost his footing on one of the rocks but caught himself.

"Easy, Agent Ressler. You wouldn't want to fall back in there, would you?" Reddington asked in a mocking tone. "I suppose you have trouble with banana peels as well?"

"Smart ass,"

"Always. Anyway, to answer your question, they didn't let it get like this." He said and watched the moving water as they walked along. "They made it like this."

"Who the hell would want to do this?" Ressler asked and Reddington came to a halt. Ressler stopped and looked back at him. "What ar-,"

"Ssshhh," Reddington listened for a moment. "Someone's coming. Get behind some of those trees."

"I don't hear-,"

"Move!" Reddington ordered with a glare. He pulled Ressler towards the trees until the agent complied. It wasn't like Raymond was trying to get away. What would be the harm in it? The two hid behind two trees and watched as a pick up truck pulled up along the other side of the river.

"Why don't we ask them for help?" Donald asked and Reddington looked at him like he was crazy. "Don't tell the great Raymond Red Reddington is a pussy." He said and started to step out. Reddington flung his arms up and over Ressler before pulling him back into hiding. "Let go!" Ressler hissed.

"Shut up and watch." Reddington stated and Ressler rolled his eyes. He and Reddington looked back over and saw two men get out. They uncovered the bed of the truck and started pulling out large black garbage bags.

"They're... Littering?" Donald asked and Red's eye twitched.

"Ressler, I'm starting to believe that you're just a deranged boy scout." Reddington stated as the garbage bags were tossed into the water.

"This bastard is heavy." Grunted one of the men as he got out another bag. He tossed it into the water.

"That was the last one. Let's get out of here before someone sees us." Said the other before they got back in. Reddington waited until he couldn't hear the truck before he let go of Donald.

"People like that are why this river is so clouded over. This town is filled with murderers, and they're all trying to keep it hidden. That's why if anyone shows up, we don't follow them."

"Why should I believe you?" Ressler asked crossing his arms.

"Would you rather believe me and live, or not believe me and end up like them?" Reddington replied and gestured towards the water.


	3. A Fork in the Road

Donald and Reddington were stuck walking along the polluted river again. Red tried to figure out how he could escape. They'd been walking for hours. It couldn't be much longer until they were back on the highway, could it. Either way, when they got there, he figured that his ass would get thrown in prison.

He studied Ressler who was still dragging him along by these retched handcuffs which were starting to dig into his wrists. Donald was a head taller than him and a bit more muscular as well. That meant that Raymond wouldn't be able to out run him and would have little to no chance in beating him in a fight.

Reddington chewed on the inside of his jaw. He thought about flinging the handcuffs around Donald's throat and choking him but didn't want a repeat of earlier. He could feel the bruise forming on the side of his head. He huffed in irritation and looked back at the water.

Ressler stopped dead in his tracks causing Red to nearly walk into him. The criminal furrowed his brow as Donald swore under his breath. Reddington leaned to look around him and saw what the agent was upset about. Half of him hated it while the other half saw this as an opportunity. The river was flowing from four different paths.

"Which one did we come down?" Red asked wanting to see how badly lost Ressler truly was.

"I have no idea. We'll just have to take the first one and see where that leads us. If it's wrong, we'll just come back down here and try the next one." Ressler stated causing Reddington to roll his eyes at the younger man's optimism.

"You do know what's more likely to happen than us finding our way out, don't know?" Red asked slightly tugging at Ressler's grip on the chain. He thought about pulling away, shoving the man in the water, and running like a bat out of hell but knew it wouldn't end well.

"What's that?" Ressler asked. He tightened his grip and glared at the criminal. He wasn't going to take any chances on him getting away. He'd put too much time into this chase and wouldn't lose it this close to his goal.

"It's sad really. If we keep following the river, we're sure to meet those hicks in the pick up truck and get shot or gutted like fish. Then, they'll just fling us in the water and be done with it." Reddington stated calmly and pursed his lips. Ressler glared at him but also wanted to know where he was going with this.

"And if we don't follow the river?"

"Panthers," Red answered as if that summed everything up.

"Then, I guess that we're screwed either way. We might as well just keep going this way." Ressler stated before yanking on the chain to get Raymond to move faster. Red stumbled slightly causing Ressler to smirk at him over his shoulder. Reddington huffed and glared at him.

After hours of walking, the sun had started to set, and it was evident that they had taken the wrong path. Red was silent because he was torn between the thought of mocking Ressler's mistake and just how tired he was. It didn't help any that they were both soaked in sweat from baking under the summer sun.

Ressler was torn between turning back and just sitting down to take a break. He decided that they would go around this curve up ahead before they turned back. He wouldn't want to miss the interstate by one curve. His feet ached, but he wanted to get Reddington into custody as soon as possible. He went around the corner and froze.

"Damn it, Ressler!" Reddington barked after walking into the younger man. He glanced around him and felt like his heart had stopped. The two men were standing there staring at them. The murderers had their trash bags in hand and looked as though they wouldn't mind filling a few more.

"Will, you want to take care of these two?" Asked one of them. Will just nodded and pulled out a pocket knife. Ressler took off dragging Reddington behind him. Red swore when he heard the knife plunge into the tree behind him. That had been thrown at him and had only missed by a few inches. "Get the rifle!"

Neither of them thought they would ever be in this situation. They were unarmed and were running through the woods in the dark. Branches and briers were slapping at their faces and tugging and ripping their clothes.

Reddington pulled out of Ressler grip. The younger man was going too fast for him. If he hadn't pulled away, he would have tripped. Then both of them would have been caught and killed. This way, they both had a shot at out running Will.

Donald had gotten out of view, and Reddington wondered how long he could keep this up. His ribs and lungs were aching, and he felt close to exhaustion. He held up his arms to block his face from the branches ahead of him. He nearly screamed when something reached out and jerked him into the bushes.

A hand was clamped down over his mouth, and the other held on tightly to his handcuff chain. He stopped trying to squirm away when he saw it was Donald. Both froze in fear when they heard Will walking past them. They couldn't see him and hoped that he couldn't see them.

Adrenaline pumped through both of their veins. Their hearts were pounding so hard that they were worried the other man could hear them. Will turned towards them nearly making Ressler yelp in terror. The end of the rifle was pushed through the leaves of the bush.

Without thinking, Red grabbed the barrel and yanked it forward. Will yelped, and Red shoved the gun back to where it caught the man in the throat. He fell to the ground gasping for air that he couldn't get. Red stood before Donald could stop him and fired a shot into Will's head.

He searched the man for more ammunition. He found one bullet. He loaded it while Ressler got over the shock of what had happened. Red fired the bullet at the ground so the other murderer would think for the moment that Red and Donald had been killed. He mentally cursed at himself afterwards for not thinking about shooting Ressler instead. Oh well, at least they'd be safe until the man at the river realized that his friend wasn't coming back.

He dropped the gun and turned to the agent who looked like he was going to be sick. Reddington rolled his eyes. How had he been caught by this guy anyway?


	4. The Woods

Ressler and Reddington both huffed deep breaths as they sat down. They were both exhausted from running. Luckily, they hadn't heard anyone coming their way. Maybe, they were safe for the time being.

"We need sleep." Reddington commented as he laid flat on his back. The ground was hard and uncomfortable but he didn't care.

"No, we're gonna keep going." Donald stated breathlessly despite the fact that he was already leaning up against a tree.

"Ressler, I admire your resilience, but I highly suggest that we stop. The last time I tried something like that, I started hallucinating."

"I don't think that's normal." Ressler commented.

"When you get to a certain point, your dreams start trying to invade reality. At the time, I was traveling with a man who had shoulder length blond hair. By the third day, I was in such a state that I believed he was Marilyn Monroe." Reddington said and chuckled. "He bitch slapped me when I asked what JFK was like in the sack."

"I'll probably regret this," Ressler stated as he furrowed his brow. The older man leaned his head up to look at him. "But why did you want to know?"

"Just curious I guess," Reddington said before laying his head back down. Donald stood, but Red stayed where he was. Until he was told to move, he wasn't going to budge an inch. Donald grabbed a branch and bent it to test if it would do for what he wanted. He pulled it off the tree and walked over to Reddington.

He wound the flexible but sturdy branch around the chain of the handcuffs causing Red to furrow his brow. Donald pulled on the branch causing Reddington to have to scoot back towards one of the trees. The branch was wrapped around the trunk of the tree and tied.

"What are you doing?" Reddington asked as the agent finished his knot.

"You don't think I'm going to trust you to not run off, do you?" Ressler asked causing Reddington to roll his eyes. He couldn't have ran if he had wanted to. That would have required energy that he didn't have.

Ressler laid down a good ten feet from Reddington before closing his eyes. He was so tired that he could have fallen asleep laying on a rock. Actually he was pretty sure that he was laying on a rock but didn't care.

Reddington laid still and listened to Ressler breathing. Soon, the young agent was snoring. This was Reddington's chance. He certainly couldn't run away, but he could sure as hell sneak away. He tugged at the thin branch that had him hooked to the tree. It wouldn't break or come untied.

He tried to reach around but the branch moved with his hand. Reddington sneered. So that was why Ressler had wound it around the chain instead of just looping it. He looked around for something that he could get to cut through the branch. His eyes settled on a rock that had a sharp edge to it.

He reached for the stone but found that it was just out of his reach. The tip of his finger just barley grazed it causing him to groan in frustration. Pushing a little harder, making the metal threaten to cut into his wrist, he could maybe rock it over to him. He froze when he heard the last thing he wanted to hear. It sounded like a woman screaming, but he knew what it really was.

Ressler was up in a second. Red could see him trying to locate the sound. Another scream came causing the agent to start running. Red stared where he had disappeared with wide eyes. Ressler had just left him here. He had thought that it was someone in trouble when really he was running towards certain death. Reddington obviously didn't mind that part, but why had the bastard had to have left him tied to this tree?

He turned his head back to look at the stone. He reached for it and froze. He felt like his heart stopped as his throat went dry. Bright green eyes were staring at him. The beast seemed to be grinning at him with its teeth bared.

"Oh shit." Red muttered. The panther moved closer to him as if studding this new prey that he hadn't seen before. Red struggled to get the to sharp rock. It was his only hope of surviving. It was a small hope, but it was all he had. Finally, he got the stone to roll over to where he could pick it up.

He nearly dropped it when he felt a large paw on his belly. He looked up to see amusement in the creatures eyes. It knew he was trapped here. Reddington felt his heart pounding in his chest. Why did Ressler have to leave him with his stomach exposed. If it had been his back, the panther would have at least had to do more work to kill him.

He moved slowly and started to cut at the branch. He stared at the large cat, afraid that if he looked away for even a second, it would rip him apart. He winced when the panther pressed its claws into his stomach, lightly breaking the skin. Red swore at the beast mentally. How dare it tease him when he knew that if he didn't do something quick, he would die?

Finally, the branch was cut through. Reddington slashed at the panther's throat with the sharp end of the rock. It jumped back with a startled growl. Blood dripped from its neck, but the wound wasn't deep enough to kill it.

Red let out a scream when it jumped at him. He held his arms out in front of him causing the cat's jaw to lock around the chain of his handcuffs. The metal dug into the sides of his wrists, drawing blood. He screamed again when claws dug into his sides. The cat growled loudly as drool dripped from its teeth onto the front of Reddington's vest.

Red brought his feet up under it to its chest. He shoved it backwards causing large scratches to appear on either side of his stomach, and the majority of his vest ripped off with the panther. Red moved to get up, but the cat was back on him with a deafening scream.

Red screamed just as loud when fangs dug into his leg like long metal nails. He started slashing at the beast's neck with the rock in a final attempt to get out of this alive. The panther pulled back and lashed out at Red's hand. The stone was knocked away from him along with his last hope of survival.

Red never saw Donald come back. All he knew was that the young agent had bashed the large creature in the head with a big stone. The cat lunged for him, coming up on its hind legs. It slashed out and cut into his chest.

Ressler swung the stone again and clocked the panther in the side of the head. It fell back and staggered slightly. It growled again before slinking off in the darkness. Donald huffed before dropping the large stone. He turned and saw that Reddington was leaned up against the tree, and his leg and sides were bleeding. It would have shocked him more if it weren't for the fact his own chest was bleeding.

Donald went and dropped down next to the criminal. They each used bits of their tattered clothing to make bandages. It wasn't much, but it would be better than them bleeding to death.

They leaned against each other, and Ressler held onto the damaged, but still intact, chain of the handcuffs. It wasn't to keep him from running. It was obvious that he wouldn't be running for a while. It was to remind them both that they weren't alone in this. Someone else was stuck in the same mess as they were. Even with this, Ressler was close to breaking.

"I-I don't want to die out here." Ressler muttered. Reddington glanced over at him and saw that he looked terrible. He was covered in dirt and was bloody. Reddington didn't think that he looked any better.

"If you that's what you want, you only have to do one thing." Reddington stated causing Donald to look over at him.

"What's that?" Donald asked, his voice weak and strained like he was about to cry.

"Don't die."


	5. The Woman

Red awoke when a stream of sunlight hit his face through the branches of the trees above them. He looked over to the man sitting next to him. Donald was wide awake and staring into the distance.

"How?" He muttered.

"How what?" Red asked lifting his eyebrows.

"How did you sleep after that?" Donald asked looking over at the older man. Reddington could see just how tired Ressler was from the bags under his eyes. He could also see the fear. The poor man actually thought that he was going to die out here.

"I've been through worse." Reddington stated before shifting his position. His leg hurt like hell, but he could deal with it. He just had to get up and keep moving. "This get out of here before it gets too hot." He added patting Ressler's knee to be reassuring.

"Yeah," Ressler said and stood up. He ached all over but refused to let it get to him. Reddington stood but kept all of his weight off of his injured leg. "Can you walk on that?"

"I'll be fine." Red stated. Donald held onto the older man's handcuffs tightly and started to walk. Red limped behind him and grunted when a bolt of pain shot through his leg. Donald stopped and lifted an eyebrow. "I told you that I'll be fine."

"You don't look like it." Donald stated getting a glare from the criminal.

"Just go, Ressler." Reddington growled. Donald gave him one last glance before turning. They continued on their way with Red grunting in pain every few minutes.

It was a few hours later that they took a break. Donald leaned against a tree while Red laid flat on his back. He sighed a breath of relief when he got his weight off of his leg. The pain wasn't gone, but it was considerably duller. He glanced up to see Ressler staring at something. He looked where the younger man was looking and furrowed his brow.

Standing by a small stream was a woman. Her hair was jet black and straight, and she wore a long, flowy, white dress. Red sat up and watched the woman turn towards them. She walked towards them but didn't look at them. There was something strange about her bright green eyes.

"Are you alright, Ms.?" Donald asked as Reddington got to his feet. Something wasn't right. The woman turned her gaze on Donald, and he saw a bit of a madness in her eyes. "Ma'am?"

"I'm not strange." She said quietly. Her voice was rough like her throat had been strained. "Everyone ends up in the river." She added causing a chill to run down the two men's spines.

"W-What?" Donald asked.

"You'll end up there too." She stated with a giggle. She held her hand out towards Donald and grinned at him. "Come join us." She said but Ressler just stared at her hand.

"Ressler, I wouldn't-," Red started but was cut off. The woman's sweet smile turned into a frightening grimace as her eyes widened to give her a psychotic look.

"SHUT UP!" She screamed. She swung at his throat. Her nails cut into his neck, and he staggered backwards. His injured leg gave out on him and he fell to the ground. She turned back to Donald. Before he could move, she had latched onto his neck and was bashing his head against the tree behind him.

He tried to fight back but couldn't make contact. His vision was starting to fade form the blows delivered to his head and a lack of oxygen getting to his lungs. He tried to take a breath but couldn't get anything. He dropped to the ground after the woman screamed loudly. The last thing he saw was Reddington swinging a stone at the woman's head. Then, everything went black.

Donald woke much later and immediately broke out in dry heaves. It wasn't long before that passed, and he could look around. It was starting to get dark but was light enough to see. The woman was laying on her side with a pool of blood around her head.

"You missed all the fun, Agent Ressler." Red stated. Donald looked over at him and saw that he was sitting with his back leaned against a tree. "I had to beat her to death with a rock. It wasn't too pretty."

"Y-Your neck," Donald muttered, staring at the small gashes in Red's throat.

"Just a flesh wound, didn't even bleed that much. You should be more worried about yourself. You're the one with head trauma." Red stated and Donald looked back to the dead woman.

"Why did she?" He asked not finishing the entire question.

"It's simple. This town is made up of three types of people: Murderer, deranged, and then there are deranged murderers. She was the last one." Red explained looking at the woman and chewing on the inside of his cheek. "Sad really. If her family didn't let her wander, she wouldn't have been here."

"Maybe she murdered her family."

"Possibly, but I don't think so. I would have thought she'd have blood on her if that was the case." He said and thought for a moment. "We need to keep moving." He stated before getting to his feet.

Ressler got up as well. He didn't grab onto the handcuff chains. Instead, he followed behind the limping criminal. He knew that Reddington would know more how to survive and was willing to let him take the lead for now if it meant he didn't have to die out here in the woods.


	6. Walking

Donald watched Red hobbling in front of him. He wasn't sure how the older man was still going with this heat and that wound in his leg. The only thing, besides the limping, that tipped Donald off that Reddington was tired was his quiet huffing for oxygen. Finally, the criminal slowed and stopped before leaning back against a tree and taking some of his weight off of the injured leg. He took deep breaths and wiped the sweat off of his forehead as he looked over to Donald.

"How are you with climbing?" He asked the equally sweaty agent.

"I'm decent, I guess. Why?" Donald asked, swatting at a mosquito that had landed on his arm.

"If you can get up there," he said and pointed up to the top of the tree. "We'll have a shot at seeing where we need to go from here." He added and Donald looked up. The trees here were tall but, he thought that he could get to the top easily enough. Without saying a word to Reddington, Donald grabbed onto a branch and started making his way up.

Red watched Donald climbed up higher and higher before he felt his own leg give out from under him. He sat there with a grimace on his face while he clutched at the large bite wound on his leg. Hiding his pain from the younger man was getting more and more difficult. He hissed in pain and clutched his leg tighter when he felt the sting of sweat sliding into the open wound.

He glanced back up at Donald who was trying to get a good look at where they needed to go. Red bit his lower lip before he slid down the makeshift bandage on his leg. He grimaced at the sight. It was bloody and mostly scabbed over, but he knew that it was starting to get infected. If they didn't get out of here within the next few days, he'd be at risk of losing his leg or dying. He pulled the cloth back up when he heard Donald coming back down. He stood up and tried to keep from falling over.

"Well?" He asked and absentmindedly ran his tongue over his bottom lip. His lips were dry but not as dry as his throat felt.

"It looks like our best bet is that way. It's still gonna be a really long walk." Donald replied as he pointed over to the side. Red sighed and pushed himself off of the tree.

"I guess we had better get going." He stated, hoping that his leg would hold out long enough to get there. He also hoped to come up with a new plan mostly because he wouldn't be able to carry out the old one which been getting out of here, knocking Donald unconscious, making a mad dash to town, and calling someone to get him a few miles out. He had no idea what he would be able to do now but wanted desperately to get out of these woods.

They walked in the direction that Donald had pointed out. Ressler watched worriedly as Reddington seemed to get slower and slower. He was eventually worried that the older man was about to stop moving altogether.

"Do you need help?" Donald asked and was met with a glare that made a chill go down his spine.

"I'm doing just fine, Ressler." Red growled at him. He didn't need the man who was virtually a sworn enemy taking pity on him. That mixed with his wounds, hunger, thirst, and just how tired he was made him feel like he wanted to murder the man here and now.

"I was just asking." Donald replied refusing to let himself be intimidated. They started walking again in silence.

The sun was setting, and all the bugs seemed to be coming out. There was mosquitoes everywhere and it seemed every one was trying to attached itself to them. They had to keep swatting at them as they tried to go for their wounds and bloody bandages. They must have looked like a buffet to the little vermin. Donald heard Red swear as he tried to brush off the insects but had found it a bit more difficult with his hands bound together. Donald glanced slightly ahead of the distracted criminal.

"Look out for that-," Donald started but Red's foot had already been caught under the tree root that had been sticking out above the soil. He flung his hands out in front of him and yelped as he fell forwards. He swore loudly when he felt the bite on his leg get jarred and potentially reopened. Ressler rushed forward and put a hand on Red's shoulder to help him up.

"Don't touch me!" Reddington snapped as he turned over into a sitting position. He moved the bandage and saw that it hadn't opened up again but it still looked grotesque. Ressler grimaced at the sight but kept his mouth shut. Red shifted his ankle and winced. He was sure that it was sprained. He chewed the inside of his jaw before getting to his feet.

"Are you alright?" Donald asked and Red glared at him again. Donald only broke their gaze to look down at Red's ankle. The criminal was standing very gingerly on that foot which already seemed to have swollen a little. "I can help you walk, if you need me to."

"And since when are you so caring, agent Ressler?" Red asked trying to keep all of his weight off of that leg. He didn't know whether to be upset or happy that he only had injuries on one leg.

"It's not for your benefit." Ressler stated with a chuckle. Red's eye and mouth twitched on one side making Ressler wonder if anyone at the FBI had made note of the criminal's facial tic. "It's so we don't die out here because you can't walk on your own." He explained getting another nasty look from Red.

"I can make it on my own." Red argued and Ressler crossed his arms.

"Is that so? Take a few steps then." Donald challenged him. Red clenched his fists and raised his injured ankle off of the ground. Even that small of a movement made him wince. He sat his foot down which made him felt like a bolt of electricity had been shot through his leg. He put some weight on it and felt like he was about to collapse.

He took a deep breath and decided to get it over with quickly. He put all of weight on the injury and went to take a step. A cry involuntarily left his mouth as he started to go down. Ressler grabbed onto to him and held him up. The criminal glared at the ground and refused to make eye contact.

"Swallow your pride and let me help you." Donald said and Reddington fixed another glare on him.

"I'd rather sit here and die." He growled through clenched teeth. Donald meet his glare with one of his own.

"You don't get that option." He stated. He grabbed the chain and pulled it over to his other shoulder. Reddington pulled back, but Donald restrained him by holding the chain with one hand while his other arm was wrapped tightly around Reddington's waist.

"You're a bastard." Red growled but leaned heavily on the other man.

"True, but I'm a bastard who wants to get us both out of here alive."


	7. Convenience Store

It took a while, but Donald managed to lug Reddington to where he had seen from the tree. He swore mentally and felt the glare that Red was giving him when they saw that it was just a dirt road. Before the other man could complain, he turned and started walking down the road. It had to lead to somewhere, didn't it?

"Great work, Donald." Red stated sarcastically. "We get to walk even farther."

"You don't have to bitch about it." Donald said, already hating that they were out in the sun without the trees to block the light. He also hated having to virtually carry this bastard, but he couldn't shake the feeling that it was his fault. If he hadn't left Red alone and tied up, he might not have gotten attacked. Although, the sprained ankle was his own damn fault.

"Oh, I think I do. I'm in pain, handcuffed, and I'm swapping sweat with an incompetent FBI Agent who got us both run of the road by a hick drug dealer." Reddington stated getting a quick glare from Donald.

"If I'm so incompetent, why did you get arrested by me and why haven't you gotten away yet?" Ressler snapped causing Red to look away from him. Donald couldn't help the thought, 'Take that, bitch!'.

They walked in silence for hours. Finally, they saw a building up ahead. Donald had picked up the pace causing Red to grunt in pain.

"Take it easy! I've only got one leg and a brain that's working while you've just got two legs working." Red insulted causing Donald to glare at him again and yank him forward. "Bastard," Raymond grunted when he felt a bolt of pain shoot through his leg.

When they got close enough, they saw that the lone building was a convenience store. They walked inside, and Red noted that it was just as hot inside as it was out. That meant either the air conditioner wasn't working or the power had been out for a while. Donald flipped the light switch but nothing happened.

"Power's out." Donald stated causing Red to roll his eyes.

"No shit, dumb ass." Red muttered. Donald lifted the handcuff chain up and over his head before pushing Red down on the bench behind him. Red glared up at him but stretched out his injured leg in front of him.

"I'm gonna find the owner and see if we can use their cell phone." Ressler said before turning away. He walked over to the back of the store and opened the door. His hopes sank when he saw what was on the other side. There was a large pool of blood but no body with it. He felt his stomach twist when he was hit by the thought that the killer might still be there.

"Owner's dead." said a voice in his ear.

"Jesus!" Ressler shouted as he slammed his back into the door frame. Red raised an eye brow.

"Is a little blood all it takes to make you jumpy?" He asked leaning his weight on the cane that he had found under the bench. His best guess was that it had been laid there while someone was taking a break but had been forgotten when the owner got up to leave.

"Just go sit down. We'll start walking again after a while." Donald instructed and Red rolled his eyes. He walked over to one of the freezers, that was no longer cool, and opened it. With a little difficulty, he reached in and grabbed a bottle of water without having to let go of the cane. "What are you doing?"

"I'm getting some water. I happen to like being hydrated." Red stated and raised his eyebrow at Donald's glare. "What?" He asked as the other man put his hands on his hips.

"That's stealing." Donald replied causing Red to stare at him in disbelief.

"Agent Ressler, no one has been out here for at least a week. No one wants this junk. We should take advantage of that while we can."

"Is that how you justify killing and robbing people?"

"This isn't the same thing! You can't tell me that aren't thirsty or hungry enough to take something out of here." Red said and Donald's stomach gave a treacherous growl. He clamped his hand over his stomach and grimaced. "And I'm sure that there's some sort of medical supplies in here."

Ressler chewed his lower lip and ran a hand through his hair. He looked around before finally giving in and grabbing a water bottler from the freezer. He ignored that smug look on Red's face that said that he'd won.

Both men went and sat down before uncapping the bottles and taking a drink. Red downed about a fourth of his bottle. He hadn't realized he was that thirsty. Then, he glanced over at Donald's bottle and saw only a sip had been taken. He raised and eyebrow and looked up to see that the agent looked sick.

"Ressler, you realize, at some point, you'll have to swallow, don't you?" Red asked and Ressler shook his head. Raymond sighed before taking another drink. He heard Donald finally swallow the sip of water and rolled his eyes. "Took you long enough,"

"It tastes like guilt." Donald muttered. And people told Red that he was dramatic.

"Why don't we look for some disinfectants or bandages?" Red asked and Donald nodded. They got up and roamed the various isles until they found what they were looking for. They exchanged their makeshift bandages for real ones after they used the disinfectants which let Red let out a sigh of relief. This meant that if they had to keep going for another week, he wouldn't have to worry about losing a limb.

"Who do you think killed the owner?" Donald asked as he tightened the bandage on his chest.

"How would I know?" Red replied and Donald shrugged. He reached over and grabbed one of the various canned foods from the shelf and a can opener. He glanced up when Donald stood.

"I'm going to find a bathroom." He stated before walking off. It wasn't like Red was in any condition to run away.

It wasn't until Ressler was out of sight that Red heard the pick up truck pull up in front of the gas station. He watched as a man got out of the driver's seat and walked towards the entrance. Red stared at the cane that the man carried. It looked like something else.

"Is that a... oh shit."

* * *

Donald opened another door and looked inside. Yet again, it wasn't the bathroom. He sighed and kept going. He opened the next door and froze. This was the bathroom alright, but it was also virtually a morgue. There were bodies cut apart and spread around the room. Blood stained ever inch of the floor.

The color drained from Ressler face as he back away and tried to keep himself from throwing up. They had to leave.. He couldn't stay here.

* * *

Red looked around quickly in search of something to help him. He wasn't about to let himself be killed by a man with an ax. That was NOT how Raymond Red Reddington would let his life end.

His options were limited. There were no weapons that he could use. So, he'd have to make due with something that could be used to beat the approaching man. He had this cane but doubted that it weighed enough to do any real damage. His options were now down to canned food and the can opener.

The man was getting closer by the second. Red grabbed the heaviest can he could find and struggled to his feet. He'd only have one shot at striking from his place between the isles. He had to use the best he could. If he messed up... Well, he wasn't going to think about that right now. He took a deep breath and waited until the man with the ax was close enough. Then, he struck.

The can struck firmly against the man's skull but wasn't enough to knock him out. Red was pushed backwards and landed on his back with a thud. He barely had time to process this before the ax was swung down at him. Red held the handcuff chains up to block the ax head from killing him.

Red kicked out and hooked his good ankle behind the man's leg and yanked. The man fell backwards and stayed down long enough that Re could get to his knees. He ended up with his arms stretched out in front of him. The ax came down again and missed his head by less than an inch.

Reddington gasped when the ax broke the handcuff chain with a blow that had been meant to kill him. Now, he hurried to his feet and ignored the excruciating pain in his leg. He grabbed another can and swung at the man.

The can hit the man's head again. This time, they both went down in a heap. Red kept pounding the can into the man's head until he felt blood on his hand. He huffed for a good breath as he got back to his feet. He saw the pick up sitting outside. That was his way out!

He started towards the front door when someone walking out of another door startled him. In shock, he swung the can and clocked the other person in the head. They fell like a ton of bricks, and so did Red. He cried out in pain before looking to see that he had knocked Donald out cold.

"You idiot!" Red shouted, still in pain. He staggered to his feet and tried to keep as much weight off of his bad leg as possible.

He started for the front door when he looked back. He couldn't just leave Ressler there. He groaned internally. Why did he have to start having a conscience now?


	8. Switched Roles

Red was tired of all this. Mostly, it was because of his leg. The slightest movement of the limb hurt him. The other thing he hated was having to deal with Ressler.

He had taken unused bandages and had tied Donald's hands behind his back. Then, he dragged the agent out to the pick up. It had taken a lot of effort and pain to get the man up into the passenger seat.

Reddington noticed a small pocket knife sitting in a cup holder causing him to feel a strong urge to slit Ressler's throat. Then, he was hit by a feeling of exhaustion. If he killed Ressler, he'd have to drag the corpse out of the truck and inside. It just seemed like too much work. He sighed and shut the door before going back inside.

He raided the room for anything useful. He gathered canned food, a can opener, water bottles, disinfectant, bandages, and whatever money was left in the cash register. Then, he went back out and got into the driver's seat. He reached to start the car and found that the keys weren't there.

Red groaned and fought back the urge to beat his head on the steering wheel. He slid back out and winced when he put too much weight on his leg. He gripped the cane a little harder as he hobbled back into the store. When he walked inside, he moved over to the dead man and reached into his pockets.

Finally, he fished the keys out and got back into the truck. He found the right key and cranked the truck. Looking down at the gas gauge, he saw that he had three fourths of a tank. He pulled out onto the dirt road and started down it.

"Wha?" Donald muttered as his eyes fluttered open. He stared groggily out the window for a moment. Red turned on the air conditioning and sighed in relief. At least the air worked. Then, Donald looked over at him in confusion. "Wha goen n?"

"I may have hit you a little harder than I thought." Red commented ignoring his question.

The fog over Donald's mind lifted slowly. His head pounded every time his heart beat. He looked around him for a way to get out of this mess. He was tempted to ask what Reddington planned on doing with him but found that he really didn't want to know. So, he kept looking. When he glanced in the back, he paused.

"Who is that?" Donald asked looking at Reddington. Red glanced at him in confusion.

"Who are you talking about?"

"...You didn't know she was in here?" Donald asked. Red furrowed his brow before glancing behind the seat.

"Shit," he said when he saw a blue eye looking up at him. The other was swollen shut and bruised. The blonde girl stared at him with a pleading look. She was tied up and had a gag in her mouth. If Ressler hadn't been looking around, they would have never known she was there.

Red pulled over and parked on the side of the road. He grabbed the knife and leaned over the seat. The girl closed her eyes tightly and made a small distressed noise. Red cut the rope that had been used to gag her.

"Who are you?" Red asked but was only stared at in fright. "Well?" He added but the girl didn't look any more ar ease.

"Relax, kid." Donald said. "He won't hurt you." He added getting a glare from the criminal. How dare Donald try and say who he would and wouldn't hurt. Of course, he was right. There was no real reason to hurt the kid who couldn't have been more that fourteen or fifteen.

"S-Sandra," she replied.

"Well, Sandra, we're going to get you out of here." Red stated pulling back out onto the road. The girl offered him a small smile. Never let it be said that Raymond Reddington was completely heartless.

* * *

"SHIT!" Red yelled as the truck came to a complete stop. He slammed his fist into the steering wheel causing it to give a brief honk.

"What happened?" Donald questioned looking over at the frustrated man.

"We ran out of gas. We'll have to walk the rest of the way." Red replied, pushing his door open. He slid out and put too much weight on his leg. It gave out from under him causing him to fall on the dirt road below. "SON OF A BITCH!"

Donald and Sandra exchanged quick glances before looking back down at Red. He had pulled himself back up and was covered in dirt. Donald held back a snicker.

"This should be interesting." Donald stated.


	9. Panic

Red leaned heavily on his cane with each step he took while he held tightly to Donald's arm. Sandra followed close behind wondering if she should really trust either of these men. She hugged herself and chewed her lip nervously. At this point, she didn't have a choice.

"A-Are we gonna be out soon?" She questioned causing Red to glance at her over his shoulder.

"We don't know." Red replied causing the girl to grimace. He turned back to look at where they were going.

"We are gonna get out though, right?"

"We don't know that either. This road may lead to a dead end. And there's always the chance that both ends of the road just lead to more woods." Red answered getting a glare from Donald.

"He's just trying to worry you. This road has to lead somewhere." Donald stated receiving a nasty look from the criminal.

"Don't paraphrase me." Red stated. "I'm just telling her the truth." He added. Donald stopped walking to make Red stop. He peered down at the shorter man and clenched his jaw.

"What you're doing is being an asshole."

"I'd rather be that than whatever the hell you are." Red growled before yanking on the bandages to get Donald to walk.

"Do you even realize what you are?" Ressler asked raising his voice. He stopped again making Red groan and sneer in annoyance. "You're a monster! You kill what ever unfortunate bastard gets in your way, and you help other criminals do the exact same thing!" Donald yelled.

Sandra felt her heart pounding in her chest. She should have known better than to stay with these men. She felt tears stinging her eyes as she started to back away.

"Dipshit! If I killed everyone who got in my way, I'd have killed you already! I'm still tempted to just slit your throat and be done with it!" Red yelled back. He didn't normally lose his temper like this but everything was starting to get to him. Sandra froze when Red's gaze shifted to her. "And where the hell do you think you're going?"

"I-I thought that m-maybe I s-should get out by m-myself." She stammered and averted her gaze from Reddington's intense glare.

"No," he stated plainly.

"B-But-,"

"You'll die if you try to get out by yourself. Your best bet is to stick with us." He said. Her lower lip trembled, and she evaded his gaze. She stepped forward as a way to show that she wasn't going to leave the small group. Donald gave her a look of pity before turning back around. The sooner they got out of here, the sooner he could get the girl away from Reddington.

aaaaaaa

The sun had set, and the three seemed no closer to civilization. They all needed some sleep before they went any further, but Red wasn't sure that he could trust those two enough. He'd have to take a risk if he wanted to get out of this mess alive.

"We're stopping for the night." Red stated pulling Donald towards the side of the road. Donald and Sandra complied and followed him. Reddington pulled out more of the bandages after getting Ressler to sit next to one of the trees. Then, he tied the younger man to the trunk so he couldn't run.

He looked to Sandra who looked frightened beyond belief. Red wondered if he should tie the girl up as well but thought better of it. She might have a panic attack if he did. Besides, she looked harmless and docile. Of course, so did a lot of people that would have slit your throat sooner than they would have said hello.

"Go sit down." Reddington ordered and she obeyed without hesitation. She sat next to Donald as if that would give her some comfort. Red sat down across from them and leaned back on the tree behind him after dropping the bag of supplies that he'd been carrying.

The ground was hard and uncomfortable but seemed ten times better than being on his feet. He sighed and laid his head while he clutched the pocket knife in his hand. If anything happened, he wanted to be armed for it.

It was nearly half an hour before he finally dozed off. Donald and Sandra, however, were wide awake. Sandra was clutching her knees to her chest while Donald wondered how he could get them out of here.

"Sandra," Donald whispered making the young girl jump. "See if you can untie me." He added. She bite her lip and glanced worriedly at Red. "You're just a kid. He won't hurt you."

"W-what about you?" She asked but didn't get a response. Taking a deep breath, she moved back to where the knot was tied. She pried at it but was unable to undo it. "I can't get it."

"Try to get the knife from him." Ressler instructed quietly. Reddington had been dead on his feet earlier. It seemed likely that he would keep sleeping.

Sandra felt her heart pounding at the thought. Regardless of her fear, she walked towards the sleeping criminal. When she was standing close enough to hear his quiet snoring, she reached out to slip the blade out of his hand. She had a grip on it before she froze. She felt a panic rising in her as she thought of what would happen if he woke up.

She calmed herself enough to tug at the knife slightly. She paused and looked at his face. There was no movement. The girl tugged at the knife a little more before stopping again. Red was still snoring. One last tug ought to do it.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Red barked at her. She gave a small scream as she jumped and fell backwards onto the hard dirt. Red sneered at her and tried to get to his feet. Sandra felt her heart rate speed up as he loomed over her. Oh God, he was going to kill her!

Tears started streaming down her face as she tried to back away. She let out raged sobs and cries as he reached out for her. Red grabbed the front of her shirt and yanked her forward. He was just about to start yelling when her breathing sped up to an alarming rate. Now, he had to worry about her passing out.

"Calm down." Red stated trying to sound comforting but ended up sounding angry instead. He held tightly to the hyperventilating girl and faked a smile. "No one is going to hurt you. You need to calm down."

Sandra was starting to feel light headed but couldn't fight back her panicked feeling. He had to be lying. He would kill her as soon as she calmed down. Her heart pounded to where she couldn't hear anything but a beating in her ears. She knew that Reddington and Ressler were both trying to talk to her, but she couldn't hear them.

"I won't hurt you." Red stated finally calming down himself. "I'll prove it. If I was going to hurt you, would I do this?" He asked before wrapping his arms around her in a comforting way. Her breathing hitched and stopped for what felt like an eternity. Red stroked her hair to calm her down.

Finally, she was able to breath normally again. She let her head fall against his chest and her eyes closed. Red lowered them gently to where they were sitting on the ground. He stroked her hair while she leaned against him and wound her arms around him. She let her eyes close again before she drifted off to sleep. Ressler stared in amazement. How could a man like Reddington have done something like that?

"I thought you were going to try to hurt her." Donald stated getting a glare from Red.

"What would be the point of punishing her for something you put her up to? Agent Ressler, she's just a child. You on the other hand, are an adult. You sat her up to go against me. When we get out of here," Red growled as he narrowed his eyes and bared his teeth. "I'm going to take that knife and cut you to pieces."


	10. Escape Fail?

Donald walked along with Red and Sandra while the threat from last night still echoed in his mind. Reddington wanted him dead as soon as possible. So, what was he supposed to do about this, and how could he convince Sandra to go along with him? It was evident that she had taken a liking to Reddington because of his actions last night. Now, instead of walking a few feet behind them, she would lend herself as a human crutch to Reddington by letting him hold his arm over her shoulders to keep himself upright without having to use the cane.

Ressler's only plan was that he could knock Reddington off of his feet. With that injured leg of his, Donald doubted that he would be able to get up quickly enough to stop him, and he knew that Red would never be able to run after him. The only problem was that he'd have to wait until Sandra had left his side. He didn't want to hurt the girl by accident. By why would she not offer her assistance to Red anymore?

An hour passed before his first chance appeared when Sandra mentioned that she needed a restroom. Reddington told her to go behind the bushes and that they would wait for her to return. He leaned on his cane as Sandra slipped out from under his arm and walked away from them.

Ressler waited anxiously until she had come back out. Before she got to them, he slammed his shoulder as hard as he could against Reddington. With a yelp, the criminal fell to the dirt and held back a howl of pain. Sandra stared in shock as Donald dropped to the ground and leaned back to where he could grab the pocket knife that had fallen out of Reddington's pocket. He opened it and cut through the bandages as quickly as possible.

Red made a mad grab for him and caught his arm. Donald swung a little harder than he meant to and hit Reddington across the jaw. The criminal fell back, and Donald jumped to his feet. He grabbed Sandra by the wrist and started pulling her away.

"Come on!" He said loudly as she held back. She stared at the man laying on the ground in pain. Donald tugged at her again, but she wouldn't move. In fact, she had started pulling back.

"He's hurt!" She yelled angrily. She pulled out of his grasp before rushing to Reddington's side. Red turned his face away from her as if ashamed. It took a moment for Donald to realize why. The fall had snapped his already sprained ankle which meant that he would no longer be able to get around on his own. If they left him here like this, he would die.

Ressler chewed on the inside of his jaw as he contemplated his actions. Sandra would never leave Reddington to die, and Ressler couldn't make her. He could take Red along with them, but that would run the risk of Reddington getting the upper hand once again. That would ultimately lead to Ressler's death. He looked at the situation in a different light. Despite everything that Reddington did, he was a human, and Donald would never sleep easily ever again if he had left a human to die out in the wilderness.

Donald took a deep breath before stepping forward and saying, "Alright, let's see what we can do." He dropped down to his knees next to the criminal. He looked down at the ankle which was turned at an odd angle and ignored the glare he was getting from Reddington.

"Don't touch me." Red growled drawing the younger man's attention to his face. He looked calm but Donald could see the anger rising in his eyes. "I don't need help." He added causing Donald to glance at the broken ankle.

"You're shitting me, right?"

"Sandra," Reddington said with a smile as he turned his gaze to the young girl. "Would you mind helping me up?" He asked in a kind tone as he held his hand out for the girl to take. She glanced between the two men, but made no move to help him to his feet. Reddington's smile fell. "Sandra?"

"It doesn't take a genius to see that your ankle is broken." Donald commented getting a glare from Red.

"I would hope not. Otherwise, you would never be able to see it, agent Ressler." Red replied coldly giving Donald another nasty look.

"Just hold still and I can set your ankle." Donald stated reaching for the bag of supplies. He pulled out the bandages and a box of tongue depressor. Ressler stared at the box and raised an eyebrow. "What the hell did you bring these for?" He asked and Red huffed a sound of annoyance.

"I was in a hurry." He stated through gritted teeth. "I grabbed what I could." He added causing Donald to shrug. Ressler opened the box and pulled out several of the flimsy items. He used the bandages to bind them together until they were strong enough to make a splint. He moved for Red's foot only to have the criminal pull it away from him.

"Hey!"

"I said don't touch me." Red said with a sneer. "Don't!" He yelled when Donald moved forward and grabbed onto his leg above the injury.

"You don't get a choice in this." Donald stated and Reddington huffed but stayed still. He knew that he wasn't getting away this time, and there was no point in trying. Donald gave him a look as if questioning if he was going to try to move again. When Red looked away, Donald took that as a 'no'.

Ressler gently pulled the shoe off of Reddington's foot but still heard him make a sound of pain. His ankle had swollen a good bit which would make it near impossible to get the shoe back on. Ressler pulled the sock off before he paused.

"This is going to hurt." Donald stated getting an annoyed look from Red.

"It already hurts, Donald." Red replied making 'Donald' sound like a synonym for 'idiot'. Ressler didn't doubt that in Reddington's book, it was. Now, he didn't feel bad for what he was about to do. He held onto Red's foot before moving it back into place causing Red to give a yell of pain.

"Sorry,"

"No, you're not."

"You're right, I'm not." Donald stated with a smirk. He put the two splints in place before wrapping the bandages around them tightly to secure the break. He stood and held his hand out for Reddington. He glared when Red just grabbed his cane instead and struggled to push himself up without disturbing his ankle.

Ressler grabbed the bag of supplies and watched as Red tried to walk. He would have his foot nearly on the ground before opting to just make a small jump for a step. Ressler exchanged a look with Sandra.

"You take his left. I'll take the right." Donald stated and she nodded.

"What?" Reddington asked looking over his shoulder. "Hey!" He yelled when Ressler grabbed the cane and yanked it away from him. Before Red could fall over, Ressler grabbed onto him and held him upright. Sandra went to the other side to help support him. With a bit of difficulty, the three started moving forward on the path again.

"I hate you." Red muttered as he glared at Ressler who just smirked back.

"Well, too bad. You're stuck with me."


	11. Separated

Reddington had grown weary of Donald. He silent searched for a way to get rid of the agent. So far, all he could think of was the knife of was sticking slightly out of Ressler's pocket. He was sure that if he slit Ressler's throat, Sandra would run out of fear of what would happen to her. He'd wait a little longer so that he would be a little closer to getting out of here but wouldn't wait too long for fear of what would happen if they made it out and he hadn't escaped yet.

It was ten minutes later that Red decided to make his move. He pulled his arm out of Donald's grasp and grabbed the knife. While Donald was still confused, Red flicked the knife open and slashed at Donald. He had aimed for Donald's jugular but was thrown off when Sandra moved from shock. Instead, he ended up cutting into Donald's shoulder which got a yell of pain from him.

Red grabbed the cane from Sandra to hold him up after pushing her away. He held the knife up with the other hand. If Donald made any quick movements, Red was going to gut him like a fish. Instead of rushing in, Donald stood there as his anger grew.

"Take the girl and leave." Red stated. He wasn't about to try and get to Donald just to kill the bastard. "I'll give you a head start."

"I don't think you'd have much choice." Donald replied as he clenched his jaw. Red raised an eyebrow.

"And why is that?" Red questioned. Donald clenched his fist while Red's grip tightened on the knife.

"Because of this." He answered. He swung his fist as hard and fast as he could. His knuckles connected with Red's temple but not without Ressler getting a gash in his arm. Red dropped to the ground in a heap. "Let's get out of here."

"I-Is he gonna die?" Sandra asked as she walked along side Ressler who was still fuming.

"I don't know. More than likely," he answered causing her to look back at the fallen criminal who still hadn't moved. The day before she wouldn't have left him there but today, she had seen a different side of him.

"Did you know he was like this?"

"Yeah,"

"Why did you help him, yesterday?"

"I made the mistake of thinking of him as a human being."

* * *

Red woke up hours later with a pounding in his head. He laid there a moment trying to will away the head ache but did so in vain. He put the knife away in his pocket before grabbing his cane. It took him a minute, but he managed to stand back up.

Looking around, he expected to see Ressler. Instead, all he saw was the dirt road and trees. The sun had gone down, but he thought it would be better if he tried to get a little farther along the road. He got a few steps before he stumbled and fell. Maybe this hadn't been his best idea.


	12. The Dealer

A couple of hours had gone by, and Red hadn't made it very far. He doubted if he had even traveled a mile. Maybe, attacking Ressler when his leg was in this bad of a condition wasn't his best idea. Oh well, he couldn't change what had been done. His only choice was to deal with the consequences.

It was daybreak, and he wanted desperately to go to sleep. The most he could do was sit down on the side of the road and take a break, and that was exactly what he planned on doing. Gently, he lowered himself to where he could lean back on one of the trees. He let out a long sigh as he wiped the sweat away from his forehead and leaned his head back. Why did it have to be so hot?

He wished that he had some water or food which were both things he'd have access to if he hadn't attacked Donald. He cursed himself mentally when his stomach growled loudly. He shifted to where he was more comfortable and tried to ignore his hunger and thirst. He didn't mean to let it happen, but his eyelids drifted shut before he dozed off.

It was hours later when he woke up, but he was reluctant to open his eyes. He twitched slightly when he felt something cool bump into his chin and neck. Opening his eyes, he saw someone standing over him. He heard a click which signaled to him what was going on. His eyes widened as he quickly swatted the barrel of the rifle away from his throat. Less than a second later, a loud 'bang' sounded by his ear, temporarily deafening him.

He grabbed the barrel and tried to pry it from the man above him only to have it bashed across his head. He fell over to the side in a daze and laid motionless. The click of the hammer being pulled back sounded again, but Red was too far gone to do anything. The trigger was pulled but the only thing that happened was another click.

The man swore under his breath and turned to go back to his pick up to get another round of bullets. Red watched, with blurry vision, as the man walked to the truck and opened the door. Red's mind finally cleared enough that he realized the man was the drug dealer that had run him and Donald off the road.

The dealer walked back to him just as he found the strength to push himself back up into a sitting position. The gun was dropped to the dirt. Apparently, he hadn't been able to find any bullets. Red tensed when he realized what that meant. Before he could move, a fist struck him across the face causing blood to gush from his lower lip. Another hit him under his left eye, when he didn't go down. He was hit another time when he tried to sit back up.

"I thought I already killed you." The dealer muttered.

Red stayed down as his vision started to fade again, and the man dropped to his knees. Hands were wrapped around his throat and cut off his air. He clawed at the dealer's hands before he realized something. He shoved his hand in his pocket and pulled out the knife. He quickly flicked it open before ramming it into the dealer's chest.

Blood dripped down onto the front of his clothes as the dealer screamed in pain. Red pulled the knife out before stabbing into the man's heart. It didn't take long for him to bleed out, but Red was doing his best to avoid passing out.

Grabbing his cane, he managed to get up and over to the truck. Hopefully, he could get out of here this time. He searched around for the keys and found them in one of the cup holders. Why they had been placed there, he wasn't really sure. Sitting beside the keys was a burger with a bite taken out of it. Red glared at the food. That bastard had been eating when he'd decided to kill Red.

He reached under driver's seat out of curiosity and furrowed his brow when he felt something. That couldn't be what he thought it was, could it? He pulled it out and sure enough, it was.

"Are you fucking serious?" He muttered to himself as he examined the pistol in his hand. He checked and found that it was fully loaded. If the dealer hadn't been such an idiot, Red wouldn't have survived. Red pulled himself up in the driver's seat and looked into the glove compartment. He nearly yelled out of joy when out fell a map. He snatched it up and found that he was about fifty miles from getting out of the forest.

Cranking the truck, he saw that he had nearly a full tank of gas. That was more than enough to get him out of here. Now, all he had to do was drive back to his current hide out. Then, he could rest and heal up before his next meeting. His only concern was that usually when something was going this good, something was about to go wrong.

He put the truck in drive before leaving the fresh corpse behind. He glanced down at the burger, and his stomach growled again. He picked it up and took a bite. His face contorted with disgust as the taste of rancid meat filled his mouth. He rolled down the window before spitting out the bit of sandwich and throwing the entire thing out the window. Apparently, there had been a reason there was only a bite missing. Hopefully, this would be the only thing to go wrong.


	13. Car Ride

Donald walked along with Sandra through the heat. Sweat dripped down his face and chest, occasionally getting below the bandage on his shoulder and causing him to wince. He didn't know how much farther it was out of here but was hoping it was close.

"Do you hear that?" Sandra asked causing Ressler to stop. He waited a moment before he could hear the low rumble of a car. "Maybe they'll give us a ride out of here." She added excitedly. Ressler nodded and brushed the sweat off of his forehead. He staggered as they moved to the side of the road. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." He replied but knew she didn't believe. The two looked back up and saw the pick up come to a stop. The dust that had come up from the road settled and Sandra nearly screamed after she saw who was driving.

"Good evening, Agent Ressler." Red stated smugly. "Need a lift?" He asked with a mischievous look in his eye. Ressler grabbed Sandra's shoulders and pulled her back.

"We'll be just fine on our own." He replied. Red's grin dropped and was replaced by a glare.

"Is that so?" He asked. He aimed his pistol at Ressler's head and pulled the hammer back. "Get in." Red growled. Sandra glanced back at Donald who was clenching his jaw in thought. He moved in front of her when he saw there was no way to escape.

"I really hate you." Donald muttered as he sat in the middle next to Reddington. Sandra sat next to him before closing the door.

"I'm not fond of you either, Ressler. That's why when we get out of here, I'm going to set up your own personal hell." Reddington replied before taking off again.

* * *

Half an hour had passed, and Red knew it shouldn't be more than a few minutes before the three of them were out of the woods. Then, it would be another ten to get to his hideout. He glanced over at the other two and did a double take when he saw Ressler. He was slumped to the side with his eyes half open. Then, Red noticed that Ressler was short of breath.

"What's wrong with him?" Red questioned and looked back to the road.

"I don't know." Sandra answered, touching Donald's shoulder gently. She shook him to make sure he was conscious but couldn't get him to respond.

"Not like that." Red stated. "Like this." He added before slapping the agent across the face. Ressler yelped before bolting up.

"SON OF A BITCH!" He yelled and pulled back a fist. Sandra grabbed his arm and held him back. He glanced back at her as Red glared at him.

"Maybe you shouldn't punch the person driving." Sandra stated and patted his arm. He leaned back with a sigh. He felt terrible and wasn't sure why.

"Agent Ressler, when you have water, it's usually wise to drink it." Red commented. "Unless you want to commit suicide by dehydration." He added before glancing at Sandra. "Can you get him a bottle of water out of the supplies?"

"We're out of water." Ressler stated and leaned his head back.

"Out of water? What are you, a fish?" Red asked getting a quick glare before Donald closed his eyes again.

"The bag tore, jack ass."

"And you didn't think to pick them up?" Red asked causing Donald to grown.

"You've already taken me prisoner again. Do you have to talk my ear off too?" Donald asked quietly. Red just shot him a quick glare. What was the point? They'd be at the hide out soon enough.

* * *

Five more minutes and they'd be there. Red was slightly worried because Donald had started to get his wits back. Even with the gun, if Donald tried to fight, it was likely he'd get away. Oh well, he'd have to worry about that later. Right now, he had to worry about the area they were driving through.

"If either of you see anyone, get down." Red stated causing the two to look at him worriedly.

"Why?" Ressler asked.

"Drug deals are common around here. If we're spotted, we'll be shot at." Red answered calmly.

"W-Why are we going this way?" Sandra asked meekly.

"It's the quickest way."

"Quickest way to what? Death?" Ressler snapped causing Reddington to roll his eyes. Just a few more minutes and he wouldn't have to deal with this anymore.

"I-I see a car."Sandra stated and Reddington motioned for them to get down.

"Be prepared. They'll probably try to run us off the road." He stated as the two ducked down below the dashboard. The silver car approached them quickly and Reddington cocked the gun in anticipation. He aimed just as the man in the other car opened fire. Red swore as the car swerved towards them. He jerked the steering wheel and lost his grip on the gun the process.

Sandra screamed, and Ressler dove for the pistol. The car sped off down the road leaving the three behind. Donald sat up and aimed the pistol at Red.

"I think we know how this goes." Donald stated as Sandra sat back up with her hand clutching her shoulder and tears in her eyes. She let out a sob and moved her shaky hand away to show the bullet wound. "Oh shit."

author's note_

It should only be one more chapter to wrap everything up. :)


	14. Conclusion

"Get her some bandages!" Reddington exclaimed getting an intense glare from Donald.

"How many times do I have to tell you, the fucking bag tore!" Donald yelled before sneering. Red really wised that one of the symptoms of dehydration was irritation because his chances of getting shot were much higher right now.

"There's medical supplies at my hide out." Red stated and clamped his mouth shut when he heard the click of the gun being cocked.

"We'll keep going to a hospital." Donald stated and heard Sandra let out a small sob.

"Agent Ressler, she's just a child. Besides, we don't know how far it is until we can find a hospital." Red tried to reason with him.

"And we don't know that you won't kill us as soon as we get to your hideout." Donald argued. Red sighed in defeat. There was no way he was going to win this argument. He'd have to come up with something else.

"Alright." Red stated just as he saw the turn to his hideout up ahead. "Just make sure to put some pressure on the wound." He added. Donald turned to Sandra and looked down at the bleeding wound in her shoulder. He yelped when he felt Red's hand catch onto the side of his head. He didn't have time to react before his head was bashed into the dashboard, knocking him out cold.

Red turned towards his hideout before glancing at Sandra. She was looking back and forth between him and Donald in horror. He bit the inside of his jaw before looking back to the road. He didn't really have a good excuse at the moment.

"We'll be there in just a minute. You and Agent Ressler will both get the medical attention you need." Red stated. He could see the small house up ahead and sincerely hoped that nothing else went wrong.

"What are you going to do with us?" She asked holding back another sob from the pain.

"You'll be returned to your family."

"What about him?" She questioned nodding towards Donald who hadn't so much as moved. Maybe, Red had hit him harder than he meant to. He heard her make a noise of disapproval when he didn't answer.

The pick up came to a stop in front of the small white house before Red cut the engine. He opened his door and grabbed his cane. Getting out was the easy part. Staying up was an entirely different story. Sandra opened her door and felt a little sick when she saw the blood smear on the handle off of her hand. She walked over to Red, who was struggling greatly, and put her uninjured shoulder under his arm to keep him up.

"Is this your revenge?" Red asked jokingly. "I'm the bad guy. So, while you're hurt to a much greater extent than I am, you're going to make it look like I'm the one who can't handle myself." He added and saw a small smile tugging at her lips. The door opened causing Red to give a broad smile.

"Ah, Newton. It's good to see you again." Red greeted as Newton looked him over. He wanted to asked what had happened, why he had been missing for days, but he knew he shouldn't in front of people he wasn't familiar with. "I need you to fix up Sandra's shoulder and take care of Donald back there. He's dehydrated, and I may have given him a concussion a few moments ago."

"Sir?" Newton said startled, his eyes widening slightly.

"Oh don't looked so shocked. I've had worse days." Red stated getting a shocked look from Sandra.

"...That's not normal." She said causing him to chuckled as they walked inside the barley furnished room.

"Says the girl we found in the back of a pick up." He stated as she helped him sit down in an armchair. Red couldn't help the groan of comfort as he leaned back in the seat and sat his hurt foot up on a footstool. Newton ordered a larger, more muscular man to go out and get Donald while he, himself, led Sandra into another room to tend to her wound.

Soon, Donald was carried in and the man was looking at Red as if for instructions. He pointed to a sofa where Donald could be placed. The man obeyed the silent order before handcuffing Donald to the armrest and leaving the room.

Red sat and thought in silence as he watched the unconscious man. What could he do to make Donald's life a living hell? To be completely honest, did he even have to change anything to do that? The man was already chasing number four on the most wanted list constantly as if in need of some kind of recognition from the public.

Donald groaned and sat up but found that he couldn't get away from the armrest. He rubbed the side of his head as he glared at Red. It was obvious he wanted to curse at him but didn't want to piss him off. Red reached over to a table where Newton had placed two bottles of water and picked one of them up. He tossed one to Donald who caught it easily. Maybe, he hadn't given Donald a concussion after all.

"I'm guessing it's poisoned." Donald stated.

"Where would the fun be in that, Agent Ressler? I wouldn't get my chance to torture you." Reddington replied before taking a drink of his own water. Ressler looked worried at that but opened the bottle anyway and took a long drink.

"What do you plan on doing with Sandra?" Donald asked obviously wanting to avoid questions about himself.

"She'll be sent home." Red answered before giving a smug grin. "And you," he added causing Donald to avert his eyes. "Will go back on your little chase."

"What?" Ressler asked, his gaze shooting back up.

"I'm letting you go...This time." Red stated. "But if you get in my way again, I'll have you killed." He added. "My condition is that you take Sandra to the nearest police station and find out where you need to take her to get her home."

"I think it's safe to say we have a deal."

* * *

Red sat sipping a glass of wine as he watched the news. At the moment, they were doing a segment on Donald. Apparently, when Ressler had gone to the police station, he had been claimed a hero for rescuing Sandra. The fact that he'd been missing for a little over a week after being run off the road by a drug dealer just seemed to sweeten the story enough for reporters to pick it up.

"I thought he was supposed to go back to chasing you. Wasn't that supposed to be how you tortured him, by always being one step ahead of him?" Newton asked as Red took another sip.

"When this blows over, which shouldn't be more than a week, things will go back to normal. This'll just get the little bastard off of my ass for a little while."

author's note_

That's all for this story but expect a sequel :). I hope you guys liked it. All feedback is welcomed. Also, sorry that the last chapter wasn't more exciting. This just seemed like an appropriate ending to me.


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